When Inspiration Strikes
by KBRC10
Summary: A collection of prompts that I have either received or found on Tumblr. Find me at castlelover47 and prompt me something. Although I tend to focus on my main stories these provide a slight break and a new challenge every once in a while.
1. Prompt 1

**Prompt: Season 1. Beckett has to take care of Castle after getting badly hurt on a case. (Set in 1x07)**

* * *

"Castle!" Beckett yelled, racing to her knees so she was level with him as he lay on the ground.

She had only caught the tail end of the fight but she had seen enough to know that their suspect had really given Castle a beating and the red marks that were beginning to appear around his eyes and the small trickle of blood that left his nose told her that he had definitely come off worse.

"Castle, can you hear me?" she continued, as Castle began to stir back to consciousness.

"Rick just lie still" she commanded, seeing that he was trying to force his body into a sitting position, luckily this once he actually listened to her.

"Kate?" He questioned, his voice shaky and soar.

"Yeah it's me, just stay still for a moment ok"

"I tried to stay in the car I really did" Castle continued, evidently trying to make sure that she understood that for once this wasn't his fault.

"I know, we got him, its fine. Do you feel ok to sit up?"

Castle took a moment to steady himself before nodding his head slowly.

"Ok, but just do it slowly ok, I'm going to help you, your nose is bleeding slightly so I need you to sit up and put your head between your legs" she instructed him.

"Why detective Beckett I never" he remarked, even at a time like this he was still making inappropriate jokes.

"Castle" she scolded, and he could tell she was serious. With the help of Beckett he managed to slowly pull his body into a sitting position, being careful not to move too much or too quickly. The heat of her hand that gripped his a welcome relief and a connection to the world as his mind continued to spin.

"Ok, put your head down and I'll be back in one second I just need to get the first aid kit, are you going to be ok for a minute" Beckett asked, her voice full of concern.

"I'll be fine, it looks worse than it is" Castle replied.

Beckett quickly went over to her cruiser, pulling the first aid kit from the glove compartment and returning back to where Castle was sitting.

"Ok, I've got some cold compresses for your eyes, your nose doesn't look broken but for now just learn forward slightly and pinch the bridge of your nose, that should stop the bleeding"

Castle did as he was told as Beckett readied the compresses.

"Ok, this might sting a bit" she warned him before pressing the pack to his eye.

She held it there and could only watch as his facial muscles twitched in pain, she could tell he was trying to hide it, he clearly didn't want her to see that he was in pain. She moved the compress to another part of his face, hoping to sooth his eye socket so it wouldn't look too bad in the morning.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments, his adrenalin finally running out as the pain in his face took over. Beckett continued to hold the pack to his face, taking a brief moment to look into his eyes. Although this man annoyed her, ignored her instructions and was forever making up unhelpful theories she did worry for him. He wasn't trained like she was and today he was left vulnerable. He had a family, a mother who loved him and a daughter that he needed to care for. Although she knew he enjoyed following her for 'research' as he kept pointing out, she also knew that it wasn't fair for her to be put him in dangerous situations. Today could have ended a lot differently if she hadn't heard the commotion outside.

"You would have made a great nurse Beckett" Castle quipped and Kate realized that he had probably been speaking to her for a while but her mind had been too preoccupied with her racing thoughts to register his voice.

"I don't think so" she replied, smiling softly.

"No, well I suppose a gun wielding nurse might not appeal to everyone" he chuckled.

"I think you hit your head harder than you realized"

"I'm fine honestly Beckett" he replied sincerely.

"Well you're my responsibility so I'm going to have medics check you over when we get back to the precinct, just to be sure"

Castle smiled at her, although he hated to admit it, he knew that he needed to get checked over, it wasn't every day that he was almost knocked unconscious.

"Well detective I just hope they have as soft a touch as you"

Kate simply rolled her eyes. Richard Castle was going to be just fine.

* * *

**So I got a few prompts on tumblr and some of them are starting to get pretty lengthy so I have decided to put them into a file on here. This is therefore not a continuous story, it is simply prompts that I fill.**

**You can find me on tumblr at castlelover47 and leave me a prompt or message me on here. Although I tend to focus on my main stories I may fill a prompt if I get the inspiration or need a break from my regular work.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Prompt 2

**AU| Beckett &amp; Castle had a one night stand a few years ago,They meet again at his book launch party for the new Derrick Storm in "Flowers For Your Grave",A few weeks after their one night stand she found out she was pregnant w/ his child, She didn't tell him(she didn't really know who he was, at least at the time)Beckett raised the baby with the help from her best friend Lanie Parish(can be twins, son, daughter, twins can be more interesting lol)Now she had to tell him the truth, hope u'll do it(-:**

* * *

Grabbing her forth cup of coffee that morning Kate Beckett made her out of the break room and towards her desk. After the morning she had endured, running around with Richard Castle of all people she knew she deserved every cup. At first she couldn't believe it was him, after all these years their paths had finally crossed again, however only this time she was certain that there would be no fancy hotels, no champagne and not blissful sleepless night. No this time she was mad, she was doe eyed and young, she had done a lot of growing up since that night almost four years ago, her career was on track and she was on her way to becoming a great detective, even if her home life wasn't as put together as she would have liked.

She had just settled herself into her chair when Captain Montgomery emerged from his office calling her name.

"Yes, sir?" she replied, standing up to join him at his office door.

"Mr Castle has offered to assist with the investigation" the captain told her.

Castle stepped from behind the doorway, revealing himself with a smirk on his face. That smirk that had previously made her stomach muscles flutter now only made her more annoyed than she already was.

"Really" she replied sarcastically, praying that this was some kind of joke.

"It's the least I can do for the city I love" Castle replied

Even his voice annoyed her, the way he was so smug about everything, as if he already knew she didn't have a choice and was under orders to obey her captain.

"Considering the nature of the crime scene, I think it's a good idea" the Captain replied, before turning to return to his office.

"Sir" she said quickly, her eyes widening at the thought of having to work with the man that had broken her heart.

"Can I talk to you a moment, in private?" she asked.

"Nope" Montgomery replied simply and closed his office door, leaving Beckett and Castle stood facing each other.

Once the initial shock of her captains complete ignorance of her request wore off, she looked at Castle, standing there smug as ever, she rolled her eyes, a signal which he apparently thought meant 'follow me', so he did.

Great. She was spending the day with not only the person who had once broken her heart but also the father of her child.

They had been shifting through his fan mail for hours, she could tell he was getting bored but she didn't care. She found herself examining the letters painstakingly slow in the hope that he would get bored and leave, and as her own personal form of punishment.

She was just about to open the next letter when she heard a young voice calling her name,

"Mommy" the litter girl cried, running into the room with Lanie following behind looking extremely frazzled.

"Hannah?" Beckett asked, standing up to pick up her little girl in her arms.

"What are you doing here sweetie? I told you, you're staying with aunty Lanie today" Kate asked, but the question was clearly meant for Lanie.

"I'm so sorry Kate, I've been called out to an emergency and I need to get to the scene ASAP" Lanie explained, the guilt pouring from her.

"Lanie what am I supposed to do I thought you weren't on call today?" Kate asked, trying to keep hold of Hannah who was squirming and trying her best to be put down.

"I wasn't but there has been a multiple homicide and they are calling everyone in. Could you ask your dad?"

Kate shook her head, and moved Hannah so she was now back over her shoulder, keeping a firm grip on the wriggling child.

"No Lanie. He's only just starting to" she paused, remembering their conversation wasn't private.

"He doesn't need to stress right now. It's fine, I'll sort something" she sighed.

"I am really sorry Kate, I really need to get going. I'll call you later ok?" Lanie said, already half way out of the door.

"Yeah" Kate sighed to herself.

Things had been difficult lately but her dad was finally recovering, but she didn't want to add any more pressure to him. She cuddled Hannah for a moment, the only thing from that night with Richard Castle that she didn't regret.

"Who's that mommy?" Hannah asked, pointing a small finger in Castle's direction.

Kate turned back to face him, which inevitably meant Hannah faced away from him, so she twisted her head so she could still see what was happening. Side by side the striking resemblance was clear.

"This is Rick, and he is helping mommy look through these letters. Now I need you to sit here whilst mommy finishes off and then we will go out for soda and ice cream, how does that sound?" Kate asked to the small child.

"Sounds yummy" Hannah replied, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Good girl. Ok you sit here and I will be done soon ok?"

"Ok mommy."

As much as Kate wanted to believe that Hannah would simply sit quietly until she was finished she knew that would never happen. It was only five minutes later that Hannah was walking around the room trying to pick up the letters, pretending that she was a detective like her mom. Kate found herself darting around the room to stop her daughter from putting her fingerprints all over the evidence. It was all the commotion that drew Captain Montgomery into the room at an extremely unfortunate time when Hannah had taken it upon herself to open all the evidence boxes and proceed in 'filing them' also known as taking the contents out of the boxes and leaving them on the floor.

"Detective Beckett. A word outside" he demanded and she followed meekly behind.

"Sir, if I can just explain" she began but the captain cut her off.

"Beckett I know you are having trouble finding a sitter but she can't be here, is there no one else that can look after her?"

The captain knew of her situation, he knew that most of her wages went on paying her dad rehabilitation fees as well as making sure her and Hannah had everything they needed.

"No sir." Beckett replied softly.

"Maybe its best you both go home them, I'll hand the case over to Detective Scully"

"No sir, please I can't miss another day, it's fine I'll sort something. Can I just have half an hour to ring someone please?"

The Captain was about to reply when Castle appeared in the doorway holding Hannah in his arms.

"Excuse me, I know this isn't really my place, but I could always take Hannah down to the canteen for some lunch. I know I myself am starving and maybe on the way back we could bring mommy up a sandwich?" Castle asked.

"Please mommy" Hannah begged seeming extremely pleased by the idea.

Kate didn't feel like she had much of a choice. She knew she couldn't go another day unpaid and even though she hated this man for the way he had treated her, she could tell there was a bond between the two of them. With a sigh of reluctance she nodded her head.

"Yay!" Hannah exclaimed and clapped her hands together.

"You promise to be a good girl and you stay with Rick ok?" Kate made her promise, to which Hannah nodded her head.

"Are you sure this is ok with you?" she asked Rick.

"Absolutely, we'll have a great time" Rick replied.

"Ok, but you don't leave the building. Here" she said pulling out her purse and handing him twenty dollars.

"Make sure she eats all of her dinner before she has any chocolate, she is going through a chocolate and marshmallow phase at the moment but please don't let her eat too many. If you are back by one I will be able to take over then" she informed him, still holding out he dollar bill for him to take.

"Not a problem, and this one is on me" he replied.

"No Rick. Mr Castle, take the money" she hated calling him Rick, he wasn't Rick to her anymore.

"Detective this is the least I can do. We'll see you at one. Come on Hannah, let's go and see what we can find" Rick said in his most excited voice.

Beckett watched as Hannah and Rick made their way to the elevator, she knew Hannah was safe with him, he was her father after all, even if he didn't know it.

* * *

Downstairs in the canteen Rick and Hannah were tucking into chocolate covered pancakes, Rick had managed to convince Hannah that they were in fact just as nutritious as a sandwich and Hannah had been more than happy to believe him.

"Are you a detective like mommy too?" Hannah asked after swallowing a particularly big bite of her pancake.

"No, I'm a writer, but I'm just helping your mom out on a case" he explained.

"My mommy is the best detective in the world" Hannah exclaimed proudly.

"I'm sure she is"

"She puts the bad men in jail" Hannah continued, but then her face seemed to drop.

"But there are lots of bad people so it takes her a long time" Hannah explained.

Rick paused for a moment. He felt sorry for her, he loved children himself and knew how hard it must be for Kate to leave her child whilst she was working.

"I tell you what. Why don't me and you grab some food to take back to your mom and then the three of us can have a little picnic upstairs, what do you say?" he asked, getting excited about the idea of not only spending time with Kate but also with Hannah.

"Will mommy not be busy?" Hannah asked.

"Well if she is we can wait until she is done, come on we have lots to get" Rick exclaimed, gathering up their plates before they made their way back to the elevator.

* * *

Back upstairs Kate was still trawling through the evidence however her mind wasn't on the case at all. She couldn't believe he was here, four years of wondering what happened to the man she had spent the most wonderful night of her life with was currently having lunch with her daughter, their daughter, a beautiful little girl they had created together.

She made her way back to the break room, intent on getting yet another coffee to help her get through the next box of evidence when out of the corner of her eye she saw Rick and Hannah sitting in the soft interview room with a bag full of food. Kate slowly walked up to the door, hoping the neither of them would notice her presence.

"Mommy will love this" Hannah told Rick.

"She loves cherries, she sometimes lets me borrow her cherry smelling wash, but that's only if I've been really good"

Rick smiled, there was something about this little girl that made her special, he just couldn't work it out. When Kate had originally spoken to him he thought he recognised her, but then again he saw countless women every week at book signings and charity events, but there was something about her, a feature that he couldn't quite place. He couldn't decide if it was the pronounced cheekbones or the small beauty spot on the left side of her face, he would figure it out though, eventually.

"So is that him?" Detective Esposito asked quietly, sneaking up behind Kate.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Come on Beckett, Lanie called me. It's him isn't it, Hannah's dad"

Espo and Kate were great friends and he had always been there for Kate. She had told him about her one night stand with the famous mystery novelist and that she had tried to contact him but she could never get through and the more famous he became the harder it was to get a message to him without coming across as some weird fan.

"Espo just leave it"

"Kate, he is Hannah's father, he has a responsibility, both to you and his daughter and yet he walks in here like nothing's happened. You can't let him get away with that"

"He doesn't know" Kate sighed.

"What?"

"He doesn't know that Hannah is his daughter. I never managed to tell him" Kate explained, keeping her eyes on Hannah and Rick, noticing how they were now each pretending to be at a tea party. The smile that beamed from Hannah's face was incredible, she was clearly having fun and by the looks of things Castle was as well.

"Are you going to tell him?" Espo asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Why should I. He didn't care before, why would he care now"

"Because he is here now. Kate he has a right to know that the child he is currently babysitting is actually his daughter, you have to tell him"

Esposito would have continued but Kate had already rolled her eyes and was making her way inside the soft interview room.

"Hey, any room for me at this tea party?" Kate asked enthusiastically.

"Of course mommy, we made you some tea, and we got you cherries, 'cos you love cherry smelling things" Hannah told her excitedly.

"Well that is very kind of you" Kate replied, sitting down to join in.

"So how's the case going?" Castle asked, as Hannah poured them each a pretend cup of tea.

"Slow, but hopefully we should catch a break soon, there is only one more evidence box to go through, shouldn't be too long now. How was Hannah, was she a good girl for you?"

"She was fine, you've got a great kid there" Castle told her.

"I know, she's my world" Kate said smiling as she watched Hannah move to the sofa to grab one of her books.

"So, Mr Castle I take it you don't have any children?" Kate asked, hoping to bring up the topic in a non-obvious way.

"Unfortunately not. Work is very much at the forefront of everything at the moment, but hopefully one day" he replied.

He knew he recognised that beauty spot on her left cheek, he never forgot a face and it was beginning to annoy him that he couldn't place her.

"I'm sorry detective but have we met before, you just seem awfully familiar?" he asked, deciding that the direct approach may be better.

"I. Maybe" Kate said, shifting her focus from Rick to Hannah.

Kate sighed, she knew she couldn't keep this up, even if not for her sake, her daughter would want to know some day who her father was.

"Almost four years ago. We. Me and you. Well we met. One night. The Old Haunt; that bar on the corner, it was a long time ago and…"

"The girl with the elephant tattoo" Castle said quickly and Kate looked down, knowing he had recognised her.

"You had long hair, long brown hair and killer heels"

Kate couldn't say anything. That night had been one of the best nights of her life, he hadn't been a one night stand, and he had been someone who cared for her, who made love to her. They had spent the evening worshipping each other's bodies, she had laughed when he noticed the small but elegant elephant tattoo on the inside of her thigh, asking why it was there, she couldn't explain about her mother, but by simply saying it was special to her she had stopped the conversation and they had carried on with their evening. After two glorious rounds she had woken tangled in the bedsheets of the hotel room, his clothes were gone but there was a small note on the bedside table. _'I have your number, I'll call you soon and you can explain the elephant. Rick x.'_ She never heard from him. Countless times she had tried to contact him without success. When she realised she was pregnant she couldn't believe it, she had always been careful but on that night it hadn't crossed her mind.

"You never called" she stated, anger returning to her voice.

"I wish I had"

A silent hung between them.

"Mommy can Rick come to my birthday party next week?" Hannah interrupted, oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place.

"I don't know about that sweetie, Mr Castle is a very busy man" Kate replied, trying to stop herself from getting too upset.

"How old will you be Hannah?" Rick asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

"Four. Mommy says I'm getting bigger now"

"Four, wow now that it old! Have you asked for anything special?" Castle asked.

"No, me and mommy always go for ice-cream though, you could come too" Hannah continued.

"Well I wouldn't want to intrude on a family tradition, I'm sure you and your mom and dad will have a great time though"

"Rick…" Kate tried to stop him but Hannah beat her and continued the conversation.

"It's only me and mom" Hannah said softly.

"Hannah sweetie why don't you go and find uncle Javi and give him some of this wonderful tea, I'll come and find you in a minute ok, I need to talk with Rick" Kate asked, hoping that her daughter understood the predicament she was now in.

"Ok, bye Rick, please think about coming to my party, we can have chocolate and marshmallows" she said persuasively.

However Rick couldn't focus, she was four, and they had slept together four years ago. It couldn't be could it? He felt like he knew this child, there were so many things that he loved about her and so many things that he felt were similar to him. Her eyes were piercing blue for starters and the straight point on her nose was nothing like her mothers.

"Kate?" he asked, trying to focus his mind.

"Rick, I need to tell you something. That night. Four years ago." Kate sighed, there was no easy way to explain this without her feeling guilty or getting chocked up about it.

"Hannah is your daughter. That night we slept together, we created her." she blurted out.

Castle was still, processing exactly what she had just told him, his mind racing back to that night.

"But Kate, we, we were safe weren't we?"

"Rick I think I know who the father of my daughter is and no we weren't _safe_ as you so delicately put it"

She was getting angry, although a child had never been something she had planned on it had brought hope to her. After losing her mother she had been going from man to man however that all stopped once she discovered she was pregnant. Her father had taken her mother's death the hardest and had turned to alcohol, but once he had discovered she was pregnant she had made an effort to stop drinking and with Kate's help had managed to get booked in at a rehab center.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rick asked, his voice sounding more disappointed than angry and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"I tried. You told me you were going to call and never did. Once you became a published writer I tried to contact you but contacting someone who is becoming more famous by the day and claiming you are pregnant with their child tends to put you in the crazy fan section of the fan mail. Once Hannah was born I gave up trying. I thought you didn't care" Kate explained, the memories of those nine months flooding back to her as tears crept into the corner of her eyes.

"Kate. I'm so sorry. I never received any messages, and I lost your number. I wanted to try and find you, I went back to the hotel later that day but you were gone, all I knew was your name. I did try but I couldn't find you."

Neither of them spoke, not knowing what to say that would make this situation any better. Kate wiped away a stray tear that was sliding down her cheek, trying to compose herself the best she could.

"I would have stayed" Castle said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Kate asked, looking up to meet his gaze.

"If I'd have known. I would have stayed, with you and Hannah"

Beckett smirked, thinking he was just saying this because of what had happened, she looked up ready to make a sarcastic comment and put him in his place. Tell him that she and Hannah had been fine so far without him and that they didn't need his pity. But as she looked up at him, his eyes were glazed over. A truth in his look was pouring out to her. She knew he wasn't lying, he wasn't saying it to make her feel better. He really would have stayed.

"Kate I can't change what happened. But if you let me I would like to stay, Hannah is a great kid with a fantastic mom, and I would like to get to know you both more. If you'll let me"

He sounded as though he was begging but the smile that appeared on her face told him that she liked the idea.

"Well I do believe I still owe you an explanation for the elephant" she said, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "Come on, let's go and find Hannah before she re-arranges all of Javi's paperwork and then you can buy me a coffee"

"Deal" Castle replied, a smile spreading across his face.

The two of them walked out of the room and towards Javi's desk which Hannah was currently re-arranging, as soon as she saw Rick and Kate, she ran over to them, grabbing one of each of their hands and pulling them over to see the work she had done.

Kate didn't know if this would work, if Castle was really going to stay around, but for now she and Hannah were happy and that was all that mattered.


	3. Prompt 3

**Prompt: "Please put me down it's just a sprained ankle"**

**Pre-couple. Set between 4x16 &amp; 4x17. Beckett twists her ankle and Castle carries her home.**

* * *

"Castle please put me down, it's just a sprained ankle!" Kate exclaimed for the hundredth time that morning.

However Castle wasn't listening and insisted on carrying her up the stairs to her apartment, cursing the fact that the elevator was broken and she lived on the third floor.

Their day had gone from bad to worse when they had been chasing a suspect down a back alley when her heel had become caught and Kate went crashing down onto the concrete, twisting her ankle in the process. She had said she was fine, claiming that it was simply a fall, however when she tried to walk again she instantly knew something was wrong.

With their suspect long gone Beckett phoned Espo and Ryan and told them to put an APB out for him whilst she tried to hobble back towards her cruiser. However after only two steps Castle knew that something was wrong. He'd told her to sit down whilst he looked it over, even offered to call her an ambulance out of fear that it might be broken but she had refused, claiming that it was just badly sprained. After limping back to her car Castle helped her into the passenger seat then climbed into the driver's side; something she wasn't happy about, but didn't have much choice in the matter, there was no way she could drive with an ankle that was slowly growing in size.

When they had arrived back at her apartment he had instantly picked her up as soon as she was out of the car; another thing which she didn't appreciate, even after her persistently telling him that she was fine and that she could manage the stairs on her own. He didn't listen and instead had carried her bridal style up three flights of stairs, even though she was light he wasn't as young as he used to be and his back still ached from being crammed into a trunk on their last case.

"Beckett would you just let me do this, if I let you attempt to walk up these stairs it would be next week by the time we got there, now stop wriggling and just shush, we're nearly there now" he exclaimed, unable to hide the strain in his voice. He knew she was stubborn and he was working on that, but right now she was just being ridiculous.

She did as she was told. She knew deep down that her ankle was bad and putting any kind of pressure on it only send agonizing pain through her bones, but she didn't want anyone knowing it was a point of weakness, especially Castle.

Once inside her apartment he sat her down on her couch and propped her still booted ankle up on some cushions before moving to the kitchen in search of some ice. When he returned she hadn't made any attempt to remove her boots and was looking at him with a typical questioning glare.

"We need to get your boots off and put some ice on this, otherwise it will swell" he said kneeling down and reaching for the zip of her boots.

He went slowly, gently pulling down the zip, being careful as he reached her ankle. He could tell it was already swollen and knew the pain would be excruciating. He gripped the heel of her boot; murmuring something about how he still cannot believe she wears these to work, and began to slowly pull it from her foot.

"Argh Castle be careful please" she hissed and her fingers tensed into a ball.

He looked up at her, their eyes connecting, his pupils swimming with an apology because he knew this would hurt but there was nothing else he could do. He cautiously continued pulling the boot from her leg as she whimpered in pain and forced her body to remain still. Once her ankle was free he carefully pulled the boot away, making sure not to jostle her foot too much. He then pulled her sock off, once again being as gentle as possible before resting her foot back on the cushions and picking up the ice again.

"This will probably be a bit cold" he informs her and braces himself for some smart comeback, but instead she is quiet.

He pressed the ice gently to her inflamed ankle, making sure to keep the pressure light, he knows how painful a sprained ankle can be and hers looked pretty bad.

"How's that?" he asked breaking the unnerving silence.

"Cold, but its helping. Thank you Castle you really didn't need to"

"Come on Beckett I couldn't exactly leave you to hop around your apartment on your own now could I?"

She huffed a laugh before her face turned soft again, watching as this man that claimed he loved her took such gentle care in tending to her swollen ankle. She wondered what he would say if he knew she had heard him, if he would play it off as one of those last dying confessions because he thought he would lose her forever, or would he be serious about it, he had sounded serious enough when he had first told her. She wondered if she was ready, if she would ever be ready. A few weeks ago she came so close to losing him, on multiple occasions. She had wanted to tell him when they were drowning, trapped in her cruiser as the water rose, but she hadn't. Nor had she when they had been locked in a trunk, shot at in the apartment or almost executed by Sophia Turner. She couldn't do it any of those times, which only made her question why she thought now would be a good time.

"Castle I…" she paused, not exactly knowing how she was going to put this.

He looked up at her and she knew she couldn't do it, she wanted to, she wanted to tell him, but the implications of what that meant were too great and she forced the words back down her throat, telling herself that if he had truly meant it he would have told her it again by now. Believing that she had left it too long, that he had moved on and no longer had those feelings for her anymore.

"Well just, thank you." she said softly.

He smiled at her, a smile that told her he cared and that one day; hopefully soon, she would be ready to let him in.

"Always"


	4. Prompt 4

**Prompt: I forgot what episode it was, but that time Castle had Alexis duct tape him to the chair, for research. What if Kate comes searching for him because he didn't answer his phone and when she finds him tied up she fears the worse and after untying him, she kisses him, effectively confessing her growing feelings for him.**

**Prompt found from anon on Castle Fanfic Prompts Blog.**

* * *

He wasn't answering his phone. At first it hadn't been a big deal, he could have been in the shower or he could have been writing; she knows he uses noise cancelling ear plugs from time to time if he is on a writing streak and doesn't want to be disturbed. However she keeps trying him, after the third try she calls Martha to see if she has any idea what he could be up to that is keeping him from picking up, but she doesn't pick up either. She doesn't want to panic, she probably just isn't near her phone and with her acting classes it's not an unlikely theory. So she tries Alexis and when she doesn't answer the panic really begins to set it. Her mind starts to race, wondering why she can't get hold of anyone in the Castle household. Something could have happened to them her irrational mind convinces her, they are a wealthy family and Castle is well known, they could all be being held for ransom or something even worse could have happened.

She decides enough is enough, telling Ryan and Esposito that she thinks something is wrong and is going to check on Castle, sure they make a joke about it, but she doesn't find it funny. She needs to know that he is ok.

The elevator to his loft takes too long and she wishes now that she had taken the stairs. When the doors finally open she rushes to his apartment door before her training kicks in. If he isn't alone in there, if someone really had broken in then she needed to be quiet and not alert them to her presence, but then again if he is hurt she needs to get in there as quick as possible.

She doesn't have time to make a decision as she hears what can only be described as a grunt and a thud that sounded as if someone had just gone crashing down onto the floor. That was all it took for her to slam into the door, twice she tried without succeeding before she attempted to kick the door which eventually swung open slamming against the inside wall of the loft.

Her gun raised she entered the apartment to see Castle, bound and gagged to a chair that had toppled onto its side. His eyes looked wild as he looked up at her, she quickly surveyed the apartment making sure that it was clear before rushing to untie him.

"Castle, oh my god are you OK? Are you hurt? Who did this to you?"

The questions came short and fast as she holstered her gun and began to peel the tape from his mouth, wincing as he yelped in pain as the sudden sting that took over his face.

"I'm sorry. Just stay there I'll get some scissors and get this off you"

"Beckett…" he tried to explain, but his mouth was drier than he expected.

Before he knew what was happened Beckett had returned and was cutting the tape from his wrists and ankles. He propped himself up, finally able to regain his balance again after the disaster that was his attempt escape from the chair.

His mind still hadn't caught up with him yet, he was still reeling from the fact that Kate Beckett had just knocked down his apartment door and rushed to his rescue. But before he knew what was happening her lips were upon his. They were soft and tasted of cherry lip balm but there was a deep passion behind them. At first he was too stunned to do anything, wondering if he had somehow managed to knock himself out when the chair toppled over and this was him living out what he had been dreaming about. He felt her pull back from the kiss, her hands keeping a secure grip on his forearms.

"Thank god you're ok, I was so worried that something had happened to you. You are OK aren't you? You're not hurt right?" she asked, her voice desperate and soft and so unlike any other time she had spoken to him.

He couldn't find the words, they seemed to stick in his throat so he simply nodded his head, thinking of how stupid and how much like a thirteen year old having their first real kiss must have felt.

"When you didn't answer your phone, and Martha and Alexis didn't answer theirs I got so scared I didn't know what to think. What happened did someone break in? Did they hurt you?" She asked, once again far too quickly for him to comprehend the full extent of what she was asking him.

"Research" he choked out, "I was doing it for research purposes, I'm fine, I asked Alexis to do this" he explained and he watched her expression change.

"What do you mean? You're telling me that you asked Alexis to tie you up?"

"Yes" he laughed "and if I knew you were going to come to my rescue like that I would have had her do it sooner"

It was meant as a joke but he can tell she isn't finding it funny.

She stands up ready to leave, feeling like a fool. What had she been thinking, presuming the worsts, jumping to conclusions, breaking into his apartment all because he wasn't answering his phone and then kissing him! She felt like an idiot, she needed to leave, after all she did have a case to solve.

"Beckett wait" Castle said, scrambling to his feet as she stood up to leave.

She wasn't listening, she turned and made her way to the door, trying to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Kate wait please" his voice sounded broken, like he had realised exactly what he had done.

"Its fine Castle I'll catch up with you later" she said over her shoulder, wishing that he would just let her leave in peace.

"Kate you kissed me" he blurted out and it stopped her in her tracks.

"Kate?"

She sighed, she should have known better than to think she could get away with this without him wanting an explanation. She turned back to face him, expecting to see him trying to contain his excitement that she had just kissed him and ready to make some smart sarcastic comment. But there was none, he was serious, probably the most serious she had ever seen him.

"I'm sorry Castle. I shouldn't have kissed you"

"But you did?" he said, measuring each word out as if he was still coming to term with the fact that Kate Beckett had just kissed him, and it hadn't been a peck on the cheek it had been a full blown _'thank god you're alive' _ kiss, filled with passion and desperation to know that he was genuinely ok.

"I know" she mumbled.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked cautiously.

"There isn't much else to say. I guess I was just scared that I had lost you. I thought that something terrible had happened to you, you weren't answering your phone and then you were tied up but then I saw you and saw that you were OK and I just, well I don't know what came over me. I guess it's because we've been partners for a while now and I do care for you Castle. I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with and I don't always let on what I'm feeling, but you have been there for me and I do care about you Castle. I care about you more than you realise. I was just scared that I was going to lose you. I've got so use to you being there, for having my back and when I thought that I might have lost you it just, I…"

Kate stopped herself, Castle wasn't responding and she clearly thought that this was the biggest mistake she had ever made and was sure he would tease her about it for years to come; if he even continued to shadow her after this.

"Anyway you're fine so I will just…"

He kissed her. Stopping her in her tracks before she could finish that sentence. He wasn't going to let her leave, not after what she had just told him. She cared for him, and not just in the way that she had to because they worked together, it was more than that. She had just admitted she had feelings for him and he knew that for her that was a big deal.

He felt her hand reach up to cup his face and pull him into her, their kiss turning more intense by the second. It could have led to more, he wanted it to, with every fibre of his being he wanted to show her just how much he wanted her and how he felt exactly the same. But instead he stopped and gently pulled them apart. He wasn't going to ruin this, he wasn't going to rush into something that they might regret later. Holding her close he leaned back slightly to look into her eyes.

"How about I make us a coffee and we can talk?" he suggested and he hoped she understood that he wanted everything to be perfect.

"That sounds good to me" she replied, relief washing over her.

Neither of them knew what this meant for them, for their relationship, but one thing was for sure, they were each certain that they wanted to find out.


	5. Prompt 5

**Prompt: Castle and Beckett find a young child at a crime scene. Castle being the more natural one with kids tries to get them to come out from their hiding place but it takes Beckett to finally get them out, after that they won't leave her alone.**

As Beckett continued to search the crime scene she became increasingly aware of the sense that she was being watched. She was used to crime scenes, the dead body, the yellow tape, the eerie atmosphere that could only be created by death. However today something was different. Castle had stayed behind to explain his elaborate theory that how their victim was an undercover operative for the FBI, that had found evidence of aliens and had been killed because of his knowledge of their existence. As soon as Castle had begun talking she had taken that as her cue to leave, after hearing this theory on several other cases it was becoming quiet boring. Although it wasn't long before Castle caught up with her, and he continued to explain his theory to her regardless of whether she was paying attention or not.

Concluding that there was no more evidence to be found they turned back to head towards the body again when they heard something that sounded like a small gasp. It was only faint and could have easily have been missed. Kate turned back and flashed her flashlight towards a wire fence that was surrounded by old bits of broken furniture that had clearly been abandoned there.

Kate slowly approached the fence, Castle stayed close behind trying to keep his footsteps as light as possible. Keeping her flash light level she held it so Castle could try and see what was behind the pile of furniture, as Kate made sure she had his back covered just in case it was someone that might harm them. They couldn't be more wrong.

"Erm Beckett" Castle began and turned to watch Beckett's eyebrows raise, questioning what he had seen.

"I think we have a problem" he claimed before turning back and moving what looked like an old bedside table to reveal a little girl curled up in a ball. She had big blue eyes and long brown hair and was clutching her knees to her chest with her hands covering her ears.

"Hi there" Castle said in a friendly tone.

"My name is Rick and this is Kate, we work with the police, do you think you can come out of there? It doesn't look very comfortable in there"

The little girl shook her head furiously and backed away into the corner.

"Come on, we can even go for ice-cream, wouldn't that be great?"

"Go away" the little girl shouted, in a voice that was very strong considering her size.

"Ok Beckett you're up" Castle said straightening up.

"Excuse me?" Beckett asked.

"Well she doesn't look like she is going to listen to me"

"And what makes you think she will listen to me?" Kate retorted back.

"She might relate to you better, she clearly doesn't want to speak to me. Go on Beckett, we can't leave her sat there"

Kate rolled her eyes. She had never been much of a baby person and with Castle's background with Alexis she assumed he would be the right person for the job.

"Hey, there little one" Kate said kneeling down to the little girl's level, hoping to build some trust with the obviously traumatised child.

The child didn't move, in fact she seemed frozen. Kate slowly reached her free hand towards the child's arm. As soon as Kate fingers grazed over her arm the girl flinched away but shot her head up looking directly at Kate.

"It's ok, sweetie, you're ok' Kate soothed.

"Listen why don't you come out? You must be very cold in there" Kate wasn't exactly the maternal type and this wasn't coming as naturally as she would have hoped for but it was a start.

Kate took a breath and thought about this. The child was obviously terrified but she couldn't just leave her.

"Ok" she began, "sweetie there is nothing to be scared of, you're safe now, I'm going to look after you I promise, but you need to come out of there, I want to see your beautiful face". Kate hadn't realised exactly what she had said, but it seemed to work as the child slowly lowered her hands and reached them out towards Kate.

Kate reached in and pulled the child from the mass of discarded furniture and lifted her into her arms. The child quickly wrapped her legs around Kate's hips, pushing her head into Kate's neck and holding her arms around Kate's shoulders in a vice like grip.

"There you go sweetie, OK, now let's get you somewhere warm?"

Kate began walking back towards Ryan and Espo with Castle following cautiously behind. When they arrived back at the scene all of them were stunned to see Kate carrying a small child with her.

"Beckett?" Espo questioned as she approached.

"You do realised you have a small child clinging to you like a koala bear, right?"

"Yes Esposito I had noticed, thank you. We found her at the end of the alley back there but she seems a bit scared so I was going to ask one of the uniforms to take her back to the precinct and get her checked out"

Kate explained as her and the rest of the team made their way to a patrol car where Officer Hastings was standing.

"Hey Officer Hastings could you take this little one back, try and get her to eat something and see if she opens up at all, even just a name would be a great start. I'll be back in about an hour to take her statement"

Even though Beckett realised that this was a small child she was talking to her as if she was just any other witness. Officer Hastings gave her a confused look but accepted none the less. But as she reached to take the girl from Beckett the little girl let out a small scream and clung to Beckett even tighter than she thought would be possible for such a small child.

"I think you have a fan" Castle whispered to Beckett who simply rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Sweetie, I need to stay here but you're going to get to ride in the police car won't that be fun" Kate said trying to sound enthusiastic about it. But the little girl shook her head and continued to cling to Kate.

"Castle I" Kate began not really knowing what to do.

"Look why don't you take her back to the station, she clearly feels safe with you and we can meet you there later, ok?"

"Doesn't seem like I have much choice really does it" Kate stated. Even though she loved kids she had never really been around them and having this child desperately holding onto her for comfort was something that she just wasn't used to.

"OK" Kate said smiling down at the little girl.

"You and I are going to go back to the station and when we are there I'll see if we can get some hot chocolate, how does that sound?"

Kate looked to Castle for reassurance and he smiled back. The little girl didn't nod her approval but Kate took the fact that she hadn't tried to scream the place down and seemed to relax her grip a little as a good to go sign. She quickly jumped in the back of the car, making sure to fasten the young girl in her seat even though the little girl continued to try and cling to Kate the best she could.

"Sweetie, my name is Kate, and I would love to know what your name is" Kate said hoping to encourage the girl to say her name. Instead she simply tucked her head into Kate neck and let out a small whimper.

"It's ok little one, you can tell me when you're ready. I know it must be really scary being in that alley, but you're safe now and nothing is going to hurt you I promise"

Kate didn't know what had happened to this young girl but she felt a little bit of a connection growing, she cared for her victims only this time it could just be a little bit different.

The car was quiet for a few more minutes before a small voice said,

"Emily"

Kate looked down in surprise.

"What was that sweetie?"

"My name is Emily" the small girl replied.

"Emily" Kate repeated. "That is a beautiful name"

Emily giggled slightly and seemed to relax a bit.

"Emily can you tell me why you were hiding in the alley?" Kate asked, making sure to keep her tone as light as possible. She wasn't used to interviewing such young witnesses so this was completely new territory for her.

"Am I in trouble?" Emily asked, her eyes wide and looking up at Kate.

"No of course not sweetie. I just want to know what you were doing so we can find your parents." Kate explained, trying to keep her calm.

"I was with Johnny. He is my big brother, we were going to the shop but then Johnny told me we were going to play hide and go seek and I had to hide and not come out until he found me. But Jonny was taking ages and I got bored and I was really cold. Am I in trouble for coming out of my hiding place?"

"No Emily, you did the right thing"

"Where is Johnny? We need to tell him that you found me"

Kate couldn't explain it to her, that the body at the crime scene was a male named Johnny and it was too much of a coincidence that it wasn't her brother. They hadn't found out what happened, only that it looked as though he had been mugged and then killed, for reasons they didn't know. However if it was her brother then it would make contacting her parents easier.

"Kate?" Emily asked, after Beckett had gone quiet, thinking about how she would explain the situation.

"Emily, listen to me. You need to be a really brave girl for me and tell me did you see anyone in that alley?"

"No" Emily sighed.

"That's ok. I tell you what, me and you will go back to the station and see if we can find some hot chocolate and biscuits whilst we find your mom or dad, how does that sound?"

"Can I have chocolate biscuits?" Emily asked, a smile appearing on her face that portrayed her innocence in this entire situation.

"Of course you can"

"Thanks Kate"

Kate didn't know what would happen once they found her parents. She text Ryan letting him know what she had found out and he replied saying that they had already contacted her parents and they were meeting them at the precinct. Cases like this were always hard, but there was something about Emily that brought hope to the situation.

On arrival at the station Emily continued to cling to Kate, she refused to let go even when Kate had tried to pour her a drink and get her settled, instead she was forced to compromise and tell Emily that she could hold onto her whilst she made the drinks. Castle came to wait with them until her parents arrived but even then she wouldn't leave Kate's side. Castle couldn't help but smile at the interaction between the two of them, for the past few months they had been talking about starting a family but he knew Kate was scared of having a child, it was only last year that she was claiming she wasn't a baby person but looking at her now he knew they were both ready.

It was only when Emily's parents arrived that she finally let go of Kate. They all knew the case would be a tough one, but that was what Kate was good at; seeking justice for others. If anything Emily only encouraged her to make sure she created a solid case and found justice for her brother, who had most probably saved Emily's life.


	6. Prompt 6

**Prompt: Prison AU where he's a CO and one day she gets beat up by the other inmates and he helps her, tends to her ribs and stuff, maybe?**

**From anon on castlefanfic tumblr.**

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This was the fourth time in two weeks that he had seen her crippled over in pain when she came for her lunch. She was walking too cautiously, measuring each of her steps and keeping a tight grip on her ribs, not to mention how she would try and avoid every other inmate like the plague if she could. Inmate Katherine Beckett; 20 years old, had only been in the high security unit for two weeks after being convicted of the murder of Senator William Bracken and Dick Coonan, it was only the fact that she had admitted she was guilty that had saved her from the death penalty, but now she was spending life without parole in one of Americas most highly secure prisons with some of the most dangerous women in the country.

Officer Richard Castle had only recently been moved to the prison, only three weeks before she had arrived and he was the officer assigned to her case; and what a case it was. Both her parents had been lawyers and she was well on her way to carrying on the family tradition, however after her mother was killed she left college and joined the police academy. According to her file she was good, and her training officers had commented that she would make detective in no time as long as she focused. However there was only one reason she had joined the academy; to get an inside look, so she would be able to see all the case details from her mother's murder and eventually be able to seek her revenge on the monsters that had ripped her life apart. She had tortured Dick Coonan, forcing him to tell her who hired him to kill her mother; when he finally told her she killed him and then went after William Bracken. She had pleaded guilty and admitted what she had done. He felt sorry for her to some extent, she had clearly tried to do things the right way but all her evidence had been buried, after all she was only a police officer and a young one with an ulterior motive, it didn't take the court long to return with a guilty verdict.

He would watch her at lunch as she hobbled over to the counter, getting a glass of water and then skipping the food line, although he was sure she wasn't passing on the food deliberately. He had noticed her getting weaker over the past few days, her cheekbones were beginning to show more and her clothes were getting looser by the day.

He had spoken to her but she had refused to tell him anything. He knew that life for a prison officer behind bars would be tough, he had offer to put her in isolation for her own safely after he discovered her with bruising on her arms but she had refused. The governor had demanded that she had already been put on suicide watch for her own safety but he highly doubted that she was at risk.

He knew the other inmates didn't like her and weren't afraid to make it public knowledge that she was a dirty cop and probably the reason half of them were in there; which was completely untrue, but they were well known throughout the prison and no other inmates every questioned them.

Every Saturday night Officer Castle would take the night shift. After the inmates were fed, showered and locked in their cells for the night the other officers would head home and he would begin his shift. At 1am he went to do his usual rounds, checking that all the inmates were asleep and for once the night was quiet.

He made his way to Kate's cell. He glanced through the slim window but noticed that she wasn't in her bed, turning his head to get a better look at the rest of the cell he noticed her crumbled form on the floor.

Cursing under his breath he quickly grabbed his keys, fearing that the worst had happened, and unlocked the door. He entered her cell and locked the door behind him before crouching down next to her limp body.

"Beckett? Beckett wake up" he demanded as he felt for a pulse.

It was there and she was breathing which was a relief in itself, but as he managed to get a closer look at her, he knew something was seriously wrong. Her lip was split and there was a trickle of blood down her cheek, coming from a nasty cut on her eyebrow. She remained hunched over, with her knees pulled up to her chest, curled into a ball on the floor as if she had finally given up.

"Beckett. Open your eyes for me" he commanded and touched her face, trying to bring her back to consciousness.

Luckily it worked and her eyes began to flutter open. As soon as she caught a glimpse of his uniform she tried to back away, pushing against him and trying to get to the door. He knew she could be violent, she didn't trust the officers and he couldn't really blame her. He wasn't prepared when her fist connected with his face with surprising strength, but as she tried to take another swing he grabbed her wrist and pinned it behind her back, to which Kate screamed in pain.

"Beckett stop fighting it's me Officer Castle."

He hated pinning her down like this but she was a risk to him as well as herself. He held her for a few more minutes, hoping that she would give up and stop resisting. She didn't, it wasn't in her nature and he knew that. She left him with no other choice than to pull her other arm behind her back and cuff her wrists together. She yelled in protest, begging him not to, but he couldn't risk it.

Eventually she gave up her fight, her body growing tired as she lay still on the cold floor. He watched as she closed her eyes and a tear leaked from the corner of her eye. He needed to get her cleaned up.

"Beckett, I'm going to help you stand up and take you to the medical officer to get you cleaned up"

She didn't speak, not that expected her to. Whenever he had tried to talk to her in the past she had barely said two words to him, and he knew that whatever she did say was probably a lie to protect herself, or the people that were doing this to her.

He helped her into a sitting position, propping her back against the side of the bed frame. It was only then he noticed the extent of her injuries, her face was a mess and he could tell she was in pain by the way she wasn't making any move to continue to harm him, or make any effort to stand up by herself.

When she had first arrived one of the guards had claimed she attacked him, after that the guards made sure that if she ever went anywhere she transported in shackles and was never left alone. He knew some of the guards also liked to take out their own form of punishment, usually by cutting her shower short or telling her she didn't have enough credit to buy extra food at the shop after she had been forced to skip dinner.

He put his arms around her and helped her into a standing position, making sure she had her balance before he moved behind her and guided her out of the cell. He was taking her to the medical office; at least that was where he intended to take her, however at the end of the corridor he found himself turning left towards the bathrooms rather than towards the medical room. The onsite doctor would never believe her story and would probably report her for attacking him. Castle knew most of the prison was against her, but so far he hadn't been able to see any wrong in her.

He felt her tense when she realised they weren't heading for medical room and she spun her head around as much as she could.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked and he could sense the panic in her voice.

"It's OK, just trust me and keep walking" Castle replied, keeping his voice low.

He hoped that his instincts were right and that he could trust her not to cause a scene. He had never seen her be violent towards anyone, and he could tell that she had only been trying to protect herself from him earlier. By the way she was now dragging her feet he could tell she was scared about what was going to happen and where he was taking her, only fuelling his belief that she wasn't a threat to him.

They turned the corner and entered the staff restroom, it was the one he used when he was working a double shift and rather than go home he simply stayed there. It was a small room with a bed and bathroom facilities and he knew they wouldn't be disturbed. He guided her inside and sat her on the bed, before going to close the door. As he turned back to face her he could tell she was scared, her eyes were wild with fear; a look that he hadn't seen on her before.

"It's OK." He tried to reassure her.

"I'm going to take the cuffs off. This door is not locked, but I'm hoping I can trust you not to do anything stupid, I just want to help you"

She nodded her head and turned slightly so he could remove the cuffs. Once her hands were free she instantly moved one to the right side of her stomach, clutching at her ribs. He moved towards the sink and picked up the wash cloth and towel before moving to sit on the bed next to her. She backed away slightly, still weary of why he was doing this.

"Here, let me just…"

But she snatched the cloth from his grasp before he could touch her face with it.

"I can do it myself" she told him, her voice filled with anger.

"I don't doubt that, but you look in pain, I'm just trying to help you Beckett"

She huffed a laugh and pressed the wet cloth to her face. He could only watched as the corner she was using slowly began to turn a deep red colour. The pain from the injury seeping into the material.

"I've seen what you all call help. I don't need your pity, I'm fine on my own", she winced as she pressed the cloth too hard to her bleeding lip, the jolting of her body only adding to the stabbing pain that was shooting through her ribs.

"Yeah well we're not all like them" he said under his breath reaching once again for her face.

This time she let him, she could see in his eyes that he was different to the others. She let him take hold of the cloth and press it to her bleeding lip.

"So come on what happened this time? Fall out of bed again?" he asked sarcastically because he knew she wouldn't give him an honest answer.

"Something like that" she mumbled.

He didn't respond. He had been trying to work her out ever since she had arrived, he wanted to know her story, what drove her to be so closed off from the world yet leave herself so vulnerable. He tilted her head up towards the light and inspected the wound on her eye brown. Luckily it didn't look like it would need any stitches but he was sure she would have a splitting headache in the morning. He touched it with the cloth gently and she hissed at the contact, wanting to pull her face away from his hands but he held her firmly in place. He wasn't about to let it get infected and cause he even more problems.

"What happened to your side?" he asked, tilting his head to look at her ribs.

"Just bruised, they will be fine soon"

Castle sighed, he knew he couldn't take her word for it. If her ribs were broken or cracked then it could be extremely dangerous for her.

"Lie down, let me see"

"What? No it's fine"

"Beckett lie down, unless you want me to take you to Doctor Samuels again and he put you on 24/7 lockdown and round the clock watch."

He watched as Beckett's shoulders dropped. The last time she had been to see Dr Samuels he had put her on suicide watch and also claimed that she had hurt him during her examination. Castle knew it was a lie but it was her word against his and the prison weren't in the habit of believing convicted criminals.

Beckett did as she was told. Slowly swinging her legs up onto the mattress and rolling her shirt up slightly to reveal numerous purple and yellow marks covering her torso. Castle tried to keep his composure, he didn't want to let his personal feelings get in the way of doing his job but he knew he couldn't let this go on, if it did she would be dead within a week.

He slowly pressed on her ribs and she immediately grabbed his wrist to stop him, her eyes locked with his, filling with tears that were threatening to fall.

"Beckett what has been going on? Some of these bruises look weeks old"

But she shook her head, determined not to tell him how she had been receiving regular visits from other inmates that thought she owed them something because she had been a cop.

"Come on Kate you need to tell me. If you don't tell me how am I supposed to stop this from happening to you again?"

"Kate" she whispered.

"What?"

"You called me Kate" she stated, as a small bubble of hope appeared in her chest. No-one had called her Kate since her trial. In prison she was known as Beckett, and she had to stay strong, she developed a character for herself, one that could take anything and wouldn't let anyone in.

"It's who you are" he said simply, grabbing the cold cloth and placing it across her ribcage, he didn't know how much good it would do, but from the look on her face, it seemed to relieve some of the pain.

"Not in here. I can't be who I really am in here."

"Who really are you Kate?"

He watched as she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth as she debated on telling him the truth. He didn't expect her to, he expected her to clam up again like she always did.

"I'm scared" she whispered, so quietly that he almost missed it.

"What are you scared of Kate?"

"Everything" she confessed, and the tears she had been holding back slowly slipped down her cheek.

"I'm scared of being left alone in case someone hurts me and I can't protect myself. I'm scared of being with the guards in case they decide to hurt me. Most of all I'm scared of what I've become."

He knew it was a big step for her, to admit how she was feeling, especially to him.

"You need to tell me what happened tonight Kate so we can put a stop to it. Who did this to you?"

"Johnson. Johnson came into my cell before lock up tonight. She told me dirty cops were the reason she was in here and that I deserved to pay for every dirty cop that was out there. I saw Officer Standish on the landing, I thought he would help me, he saw her kick me and he just stood there. He did nothing."

Castle had only once had the displeasure of working with Officer Standish and it had been the shift from hell. Six hours putting up with constant degrading remarks and rule breaking had made him decide to work nights so he wouldn't have to work with him any longer. Now he realised what a mistake that might have been.

"Eventually he pulled her off me, he told me to keep my mouth shut and if I said anything he would be back."

As if realising what she had said she quickly sat herself upright, fighting through the pain that soared through her ribs.

"You can't tell anyone, please Officer Castle I'm begging you, if you do I'll be dead before lunch time tomorrow. Please just take me back to my cell and pretend this never happened" She said quickly in a panic, thrusting her wrists out in front of her ready for him to cuff her and take her back to her cell.

"Relax Kate, its ok. I won't let him hurt you." He assured her, gently pushing her wrists back down onto her lap.

"Tomorrow morning I am having you moved, you won't have to see anyone from this block again, I promise."

He knew he needed to get her out of there, yes she might be a criminal but she didn't deserve this. Her crimes had been those of passion, she was seeking justice for her mother and a part of him understood why she did that, why she had needed to do that. Although what was done was done and he couldn't change the fact that she was looking at life without parole, he could try and make her stay easier on her. He would do everything he could to prove that she wasn't a threat to anyone any more, he would get her moved, get her a job, and get her into education. He would make sure that this didn't become her life.

"Even you?" she asked, dragging him from his train of thoughts.

"You said I won't have to see anyone from this block again. Does that include you?"

"Probably. After all this comes out I will probably be moved as well"

Kate hung her head.

"I'm sorry" she uttered.

"It's not your fault, I would rather know that you are safe" he replied sincerely.

"I'm sorry for hitting you as well. When I saw your shoes I thought he had come back to finish the job. I panicked. I didn't mean to hurt you"

"Don't worry about it. I think it adds to my ruggedly handsome charm"

She smiled. For the first time in months she smiled. He knew there was a long road ahead of them, with many questions to be asked, but for now he was going to make sure she was safe.

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**OK, so I totally wanted to add something like _'After all he couldn't let Mr Smith down'_ at the end there, but that would lead into some extremely complex, multi chapter, AU fic, that I am no where skilled enough to write, but it would have been a fun cliffhanger!**


	7. Prompt 7

**Pre Caskett. Beckett is thrown into a deep pool when trying to get a suspect. After realizing she can't swim, Castle jumps in to get her.**

**Set in 3x21, 'The Dead Pool'. Prompt found from castlefanficprompts on tumblr.**

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He was going to tease her about this for weeks. Usually it was him that the suspect got the upper hand on, it was usually him that ended up on his ass and made to feel a laughing stock in front of Beckett and the boys, but not today. Today it was Beckett's turn, and what a turn it was. They had arrived at UNY Pool Side after finally getting the break in the case they needed. Espo and Ryan were on standby near the doors in case their suspect tried to do a runner, whilst he and Beckett entered the poolside to arrest Rob Tredwyck.

It was all going fine, Beckett had read him his rights and was just about the slap the cuffs on him, when suddenly he spun around and pushed Beckett into the pool before shoving into Castle and darting for the door. Castle managed to grab him, causing him to trip and fall to the floor. Ryan and Espo; after hearing Beckett scream as she landed in the water, were making their way quickly to apprehend him.

"Castle, you guys OK?" Ryan asked, looking over his shoulder towards Castle as he wrestled Rob to the ground and cuffed him.

"Yeah were fine, Beckett just fancied a swim, isn't that right Beckett?" Castle joked, pulling himself to his feet.

"Beckett?" he shouted, figuring she had swam to the ladder in order to climb out of the pool.

"Dude, where did she go?" Espo, asked looking around.

Panic began to rise in his chest, his eyes darted around the poolside looking for her, she was his partner and he couldn't see her. Looking down at his feet he realized the depth of the water. Three meters. His eyes lifted slightly to look at the water, it was there he saw her, under the water and not moving.

"Beckett!" Castle yelled, quickly removing his jacket and diving into the pool.

She had told herself to keep her head up and kick her legs, but as soon as she felt the water around her neck and ears she began to panic. She had never like going swimming and as soon as she was old enough to, she refused to go to the pool. Even on her weekly school visit she would refuse to swim and would sit out on the side.

Her fear had come from when she was three years old. Her mom had taken her to the pool for the first time and she had been so excited. Her mom had bought her an ocean blue bathing costume with a dolphin in the center with a towel to match. She had been so excited to get in the pool, standing by the side with her mom she waited whilst her mom blew up the armbands for her. She didn't remember exactly what had happened apart from two teenage boy running towards her and before she knew what had happened she had fallen face first into the pool. She remembered how scared she was, as soon as she had hit the water she had swallowed a mouthful of the chlorine filled liquid, it rushed up her nose and in her eyes, scaring her and taking her completely by supirse. Not knowing what to do she had panicked and began to thrash around but her feet couldn't touch the floor, and she slowly sank underneath the water. It was only when a pair of strong hands pulled her from the water and rested her on the side of the pool that she realized what had happened. After that she had never wanted to go in the pool again. Countless times her mother had tried to persuade her, but little Kate Beckett stuck to her guns and was determined never to go near a pool again.

It was the same sense of panic that was building in her chest now. She couldn't touch the floor and her weak attempts at kicking her legs were overtook by the tremble that ran through them. She had tried reaching for the side of the pool but all she was met with was more water, finding nothing to hold herself up with. She had tried to shout for Castle but she knew he hadn't heard her. Her voice was barely there, every time she spoke all she seemed to do was breathe out precious air. She couldn't breathe in, she couldn't hold any oxygen, as if someone was squeezing all the oxygen out of her lungs. Before she knew what had happened she had slipped under the water again, her eyes wide open in fear as she watched the surface of the pool drift further and further away as her vision became blurred and her eyes stung with chlorine.

The next thing she felt was a pair of strong arms taking hold of her, very similar to how someone had pulled her out of the pool when she was only a child. They had a firm grip and seemed to be dragging her to the surface, but she wasn't sure, her body was limp and wasn't responding to her commands, she simply had to trust whatever was happening to her was OK.

Castle emerged from the water, holding Beckett by her waist ensuring that her head was well above the water. Keeping her head over his shoulder he swam to the side of the pool where Espo and Ryan were waiting to help lift her out of the water. Between the three of them they were able to lift Kate out of the water gently and lay her down.

Castle rushed to her side, kneeling down and taking her face in his hands.

"Beckett, open your eyes come on!" he yelled at her.

The three of them held their breath, fearing the worse, but a second later Kate started to cough up the water. Quickly Castle turned her on her side so she was able to cough up the rest and finally take in a deep breath, filling he lungs with the oxygen her body had been craving.

"That's it Beckett, good girl, nice deep breaths now" Castle coaxed as he ran his hand up and down her back.

She raised her hand to tell him she was fine but the words got stuck in her throat. Instead she settled for grabbing his hand and squeezing it hard, a notion which took Castle completely by surprise but he wasn't going to let go any time soon. He felt like an idiot for thinking he could tease her about this, she was clearly petrified. Her grip on his hand was bone crushing but he didn't care, if it made her feel safe then that was all that mattered.

"That's it Kate, you're ok, just breathe" he soothed, trying his best to calm her shaking body.

"Castle" she rasped, her throat feeling as though it was coated in sandpaper.

"Can't. Swim" she gasped in-between gulps of air.

"Afraid of water" she mumbled, her eyes slipping shut as her body began to shake more as the memories from her childhood flooded back to her.

"Shush, it's OK Kate, I've got you. You're safe now"

She curled her body into his, seeking both his warmth and comfort. It was a good while before either of the spoke again. He wouldn't admit it publicly but he had been terrified when he saw her body under the water. He had no idea she couldn't swim and the thought that he could have so easily lost her struck him deep. He knew he cared for her, and more than he would for just any partner. Right now in this moment, he knew his feelings ran deeper than simply a friendship. This wasn't the first time he had felt like this towards her, their kiss a few weeks ago had only proven that to him. He loved her and he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without her, even if neither of them were ready to admit it just yet.

"Castle?" she whispered, her voice soft like silk, bringing him out of his thoughts to meet her glazed over eyes.

"Thank you. For saving me"

"Always"


	8. Prompt 8

**Prompt: Castle teaches Beckett how to swim and fluff happens**

**This is a continuation from the previous prompt: Pre Caskett, Beckett is thrown into a deep pool of water by a suspect and Castle dives in to save her.**

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20 minutes he had been waiting and there was still no sign of her. Standing by the side of the pool in his newest pair of swim shorts he wondered if she had got cold feet. It had been two weeks since the incident where their suspect had thrown Beckett into the pool and he could tell that it had really shaken her. Immediately after they had got her dry and calmed her down he had bought her a coffee and sat with her until her breathing regulated and she managed to string a comprehensive sentence together. He had never seen her like that before, her eyes were terrified and her body continued to shake for a long while after they had gotten back to the precinct. Eventually, she had told him why she had been so scared, both the incident as a child, coupled with the fact that she couldn't swim had well and truly frightened her.

It was the fact that she had said she couldn't swim that had brought them to the pool again. After spending two weeks convincing her that he would teach her how to swim in case it happened again; an event he knew was extremely unlikely but told her they couldn't be too careful, and the fact that teaching Kate Beckett how to swim might be one of the most pleasurable experiences of his life. However right now, standing on the cold tiled floor waiting for her to come out of the changing rooms, he was finding it anything but pleasurable.

She had only agreed to his plan on three conditions; one they used the pool at her local gym which opened at 4am and she insisted they be there at that ungodly hour to guarantee it would be empty. Two; she could call it off any time she wanted; he wavered on that one and told her if she chickened out, then he would get to drive her cruiser for the week. Thirdly she had a strict no touching policy, she was happy to let him teach her, but she made it clear his hands were to stay to himself. Another condition he tried to waver but she was persistent and he eventually agreed.

He had taught Alexis to swim when she was only little. Having bought her, her own pair of princess armbands and a matching swimsuit, they had spent hours in their pool at the Hamptons as he taught her how to swim and drive in. She had taken to it like a duck to water and it wasn't long before the armbands were gone and she was a confident swimmer. He knew that if he even mentioned armbands to Beckett she would twist his ear and storm back to the changing room so he decided to use a float instead, just in case.

He was just about to go to the changing room door and shout her when she emerged from the changing rooms. Her black swimming costume clinging to her skin, shaping her waist and hips. Her hair was up in a loose ponytail with stray pieces that had escaped the bobble to shape her face. He couldn't take his eyes off her and it struck him how difficult this might be. His eyes swept up and down her body, watching as she walked towards him with legs that seemed to go on forever. Although her appearance took him by surprise, there was something else about the way she was moving that was completely unlike her. She was nervous. A side to her that he had only seen once before. When she finally stopped in front of him; noticeably shorter without her heels on, he observed the finer details of how nervous she actually was; like the way she was biting her lower lip between her teeth and keeping her eyes focused on the floor or the wall, refusing to look at the pool.

"So you ready?" Castle asked, keeping a high level of enthusiasm in his voice.

He watched as she glanced at the pool. It was as if she was watching the scariest horror film of her life and was hiding behind a cushion, only to peek out when curiosity got the better of her. She was shuffling slightly on her bare feet; another sign he perceived as her being extremely nervous. She had told him about what had happened when she was little and he presumed that was why she had wanted to pool to be empty. She looked up at him, her brown eyes swirling back at his.

"Beckett you OK?" he asked, but he only received a short nod of affirmation from her. "OK, well first thing to do is sit on the side and put your legs in the water"

"We're not using the ladder?" she asked cautiously.

"No. Unless you want to submerge your body in a drastically cooler temperature all at once, this way we can get used to the temperature slowly"

If she didn't believe him she didn't let on. He wanted to see how she reacted to simply having her legs dangling in the water where she couldn't touch the floor. He moved confidently and sat down at the side of the pool, slipping his feet under the water and waiting for her to join. It took her a minute, but he could see the determination on her face as she cautiously walked over to the edge and sat down. She had told him she was afraid of water so this would be the first test, he knew if this went well then she would be fine, if not he knew this would be over far too quickly for his liking.

He watched as she tentatively placed one foot in the water, followed by the next. He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face, which she noticed and rolled her eyes in classic Beckett fashion.

"How does that feel?" Castle asked.

"Castle, I thought you were going to teach me how to swim, not sit on the side and get my feet wet" she countered, her bravado showing through, ensuring he didn't see any signs of weakness.

"I am. But first how does this feel?"

"Cold" she stated and smiled smugly at him.

"I meant about not being able to touch the floor" As soon as the words left his mouth he saw her face drop and she shrugged her shoulder. "Is that what scares you? Not being able to touch the floor?"

"I guess" she mumbled.

"Try kicking your legs now, just to get the hang of it."

She quirked and eyebrow at him but was only met with a serious look back. She gave a few tentative swings of her legs before finally finding a rhythm she was comfortable with. They sat for ten minutes, simply getting used to the feeling of not being able to touch the floor and kicking her legs. The water rippled beneath their feet and splashed up onto their thighs. Once or twice Castle was sure he felt her leg brush up against his; he knew it was probably an accident, after all she was the one whom had put the no touching condition in place, but he could dream.

Once he felt she was comfortable he convinced her to come over to the ladder and climb in. The water was only one meter deep, so she would be able to stand up with her whole upper body out of the water. He climbed in first and waited for her to follow. He stood near the bottom of the ladder and watched as she slowly lowered herself in. Her body seemed to grow tenser with ever step lower she took as the water rose to her hips. He saw the moment her feet connected with the titled floor of the pool and he was filled with a sense of pride. But it was then he noticed she wasn't letting go of the ladder, instead she was clinging to it as if her life depended on it.

"Kate, you can let go, you're standing up on the floor"

"Can't" she murmured as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't do this Castle I'm sorry…" she said, quickly putting one foot back on the ladder as she got ready to pull herself out, when his hand covered hers on the ladder and stopped her.

"Kate wait" He looked at where his hand was, it had been a natural reaction to rest his hand upon hers, to comfort her and give her the strength she needed to do this. "Just give it a try OK, I'm right here, nothing is going to happen, just think of it like standing up in your bath"

She couldn't help but laugh at that. Turning back to face him she took a moment to steady herself before nodding her head and focusing on the task at hand. Slowly, and with great care she moved back down into the water.

He wasn't sure exactly how it happened but in the process of her turning around she entwined her fingers with his and before he knew what was happening she was holding his hand as he guided her into the water. Once in, she eventually let go of the ladder but kept a firm grip on his hand,

"OK?" he questioned, making sure to check she was genuinely alright.

"Um-hum" she nodded and fixed her eyes on his.

"OK, now move your arms under the water" he went to let go of her hand but she stopped him with a firm grip.

"Castle" she said quickly, "don't let go just yet, OK?"

"Sure" he replied. He knew his face must look a picture because Beckett – miss no touch policy – had just asked him to hold her hand, well something to that extent anyway.

They made their way slowly into the pool, there was no one else there making it easier to navigate their way towards the center of the shallow end. He had no intention of going near the deep end that would come with time. Today it was simply about getting her used to the water and possibly going to a part of the pool where she needed to stand on her tip toes to reach the bottom, he wasn't about to suggest diving in the deep end and hoping for the best.

He noticed that the further away from the side they got, the tighter her grip on his hand became. They stopped in the center of the shallow end, the water dancing around their hips as he tried to remember exactly what had let to them both being in extremely limiting clothing and soaking wet.

"So to start with I thought you could just try lifting your legs off the floor and moving your arms. You can touch the floor so if you get worried just put your feet down and stand up." He instructed, he expected a quick comeback from her but instead she slowly let go of his hand and did as he said.

He watched as she slowly but surely became more confident. She began to move her arms through the water and take her feet off the floor. Each time she moved her movements became stronger and more confident.

"That's great Kate. Now we're going to go a little deeper and use the float to support you and try breaststroke; but we'll keep your head above the water." He explained and he could see she was slightly confused, "so moving your arms and legs just like you have been doing now" he assured her.

Grabbing the small float he demonstrated how to use it, by putting it on his chest and lying flat in the water and showing her what to do with her arms and legs. He moved to the side of her and handed her the float and watched as she very carefully tilted herself forward so she was further into the water. His hands instinctively went to her waist to steady her, the soft material of her swimsuit under his fingers felt like satin, but he tried to focus his thoughts. Ever so slowly Kate got the hang of it was picking up speed, travelling from one side of the pool to the other, getting further into the deep end each time.

It was on the third lap; when the water was up to Castle upper arms that things started to go slightly wrong. By now he had let go of her and was simply staying close to her just in case she needed him, which unfortunately she did. He saw her wobble slightly but by now she was determined not to give up, but she couldn't stop herself when she tilted too much to one side and slipped off the side of the small float. Having not realized how deep they now were the usual panic that came with not being able to touch the floor rose in her chest and she reached blindly to grab Castle's hand, however in her panic she managed to grab not only his hand but his upper arm and pull herself into his arms.

"It's alright Kate, I've got you" he told her as he wrapped his arms around her and waded his way back towards the shallow end. He moved them into the far corner where she could stand up and hold onto the sides.

She didn't speak for a moment and he didn't push her to, he simply held onto her until she had calmed down. Although this seemed like a slightly set back he knew that she had achieved something great today.

"I think that's enough for today Kate. You've done great, just then you didn't panic, you saved yourself" he told her, the pride spilling from his lips.

"I grabbed onto you" she whispered and he could tell she felt slightly defeated.

"Yes, and that's OK. It's your first time in the water, there is no rush"

"Thank you Rick." She said smiling at him, "I know I'm not the easiest student to teach"

"Oh please you should have been there when I tried to teach Alexis, it took me four attempts to get her to not jump in without her armbands on."

Kate laughed, knowing that it was probably true. It was then she noticed that she still had a firm grip on his bicep, clutching the muscles beneath, but no longer to steady herself. She could stand up now, she was fine, but she couldn't bring herself to let go just yet.

"I was really swimming?" she questioned, more to herself than Castle.

"Yep, kicking your legs and everything."

"Thank you Rick. I never thought I would be able to do that" she said sincerely, smiling up at him.

"Not a problem. I enjoyed it, and it's not every day I get to see you in a bathing suit"

"Well take a good look Castle, because after today you won't be seeing me in it again"

It was a natural reaction to respond to him like that, but the truth be told, she kind of liked seeing him in only his swimming trunks. She had been too preoccupied by her fear of water to notice how incredible he looked. His toned figure seemed more prominent in the water as his wet hair swept across his face.

There was a silence between them. Each of them slightly disappointed that this was coming to an end, though none of them would admit it just yet.

"So" Castle finally said, "how about we get changed and I buy you a celebratory coffee? I'll even throw in a bear claw"

"Twist my arm" Kate replied as they made their way back to the changing rooms – and no she wasn't staring at his ass on the way back.

Inside the nearest coffee shop they each sat with their preferred coffees and a bear claw each, discussing how the swimming session had gone. She was pleased with herself, she had concurred a great fear today but there were butterflies in her stomach for a completely different reason. She had been the one to call a no touch policy, but in the pool it had simply felt natural. The way he guided her and they moved together in the water felt like a delicate dance they had been doing for years. When she thought she was in danger her first instinct was to reach for him because she knew he always had her back.

"So" Castle continued, although she had lost all concept of what he had been saying to her for the past few minutes, "you think you will go swimming again soon?"

Kate shrugged her shoulder, "I don't know"

The truth was she didn't want to go on he own, it was fun with Castle, and she secretly enjoyed seeing him flexing his muscles under the water.

"Why not?" he asked, raising an eye brow at her.

"I'm not sure if I want to go on my own just yet" she admitted, glancing up at him and catching her bottom lip between her teeth again, but this time for a completely different reason.

"But I thought you said I didn't get to have the pleasure of seeing you in a bathing suit again?"

"Yeah well, I'm entitled to change my mind aren't I?"

"Absolutely." He replied quickly, far too quickly but she didn't mind, they both knew where this was going. And it wasn't back to the pool side.


End file.
